It was undeniably going to be the hardest project Clare & I were ever going to do. We had some block work and masonry experience and just expected this project to be 'a lot more of it' !! But in reality it took over 5 months to achieve, virtually the entirety of our out of season closure and still the masonry around the exterior is to be started Autumn/Winter later this year and next. Everybody suffered the ... [ More ]
la Métairie des Songes
A new outdoor area for cooler evenings
There is never an idle moment during our Winter closure and this project most certainly made sure of that ! Our new ‘Fire Pit’ spent several years on the ‘to do list’ and we knew it was an area that needed to be renovated, as it was a space very much on view to our customers. It was created opposite the terrace on the remains of an ancient ‘dependance’ - an outdoor utility building from many years ago (probably a ... [ More ]
A little sun-trap with fountain and trough
A year ago we decided that our little gravel-lined ‘sun-trap’ ~ that is part of the old bread oven, deserved the installation of an antiqued metal wall ‘gargoyle’. In such a relaxing space that catches the last of the evening sun beams there had to be the gentle background trickle of water to soothe away any stresses (with the assistance of a glass of something equally relaxing), and the labour of love was ... [ More ]
Bedroom Van Gogh ~ re-insulated and updated!
It was a job that we were not looking forward to doing during our Winter closure, but we knew it had to be done. Bedroom Van Gogh was only redecorated and upgraded five years ago and still looked super. However, having endured two consecutive Summers with temperatures over 40ºc, the roof and wall insulation were not effective enough to withstand the intensity of this heat. So, with a heavy heart we had to cut into ... [ More ]
Our enchanting new garden feature
A project conceived several years ago but fell behind due to other priorities at the time (namely a rebuilt Carport in 2018 and our Potager in 2019), eventually has been created ! This 2020 season we re-open with our latest garden feature ~ a tranquil green space with spouting water over rocks, a large garden bench and ornamental & mediterranean plants. The ensemble basks in its glorious setting that overlooks ... [ More ]
Goodbye to our beautiful Bramley
With immense sadness we had to say goodbye to our loveable French friend, Bramley, on Saturday morning 8th February 2020. Old age eventually overtook the ‘indestructible’ Mr B who was a fighter all the way to the end. We adopted him from the SPA in Figeac in 2010, having been ‘resident’ there for nearly 4 years. He had been found by the roadside with one of his hind legs and both front legs broken (perhaps from a ... [ More ]
